According to iSuppli Corp., LG.Philips (Seoul, South Korea) recently overtook Samsung as the leading LCD panel supplier. But other than demonstrating a 20.1-inch OLED display in October 2004, LG appears to have been relatively quiet on the OLED front, focusing primarily on ramping up next-generation LCD fabs to produce flat-panel TV screens.

Meanwhile, Samsung has gotten a leg up on its Korean rival in OLEDs. Last November, the company announced it would invest more than $450 million to build a fourth-generation OLED production line to build active-matrix OLED displays for mobile phones. Samsung began producing passive-matrix OLED displays for mobile phones in 2002 and reportedly accounts for 44 percent of mobile phone display sales.

For LG, Kodak appears a good fit. Kodak recently ended its OLED joint venture with Japan-based Sanyo Corp. that also focused on active-matrix OLED displays. The company said it was seeking more licensees for its extensive OLED IP portfolio as well as additional partners.

Budiman Sastra, executive vice president and chief technical officer of LG.Philips LCD, said in a statement, "This agreement brings together our leadership in TFT technology with Kodak’s expertise in producing OLED materials and processing technology. Our goal is to work together seamlessly to develop future business opportunities in the AMOLED industry."